Moiré, correlations, and collective phenomena

Magnetic signatures of a candidate fractional topological insulator in twisted MoTe₂. Figure from Physical Review X 16, 031009 (2026).

From flat bands to collective quantum matter

A long moiré period compresses kinetic energy and exposes the geometry of the electronic wavefunctions. We develop local and continuum descriptions of these flat bands, identify the topological obstructions that shape them, and ask how quantum geometry selects correlated ground states.

Close contact with experiment is central. Our work on fractional fillings and a candidate fractional topological insulator in twisted MoTe₂ is an experimental collaboration with Xiaoyang Zhu’s group and collaborators, connecting theory to optical, magnetic, and time-resolved measurements.

Selected papers

• Candidate for a Fractional Topological Insulator in Twisted MoTe₂ — Physical Review X 16, 031009 (2026).
• Hidden states and dynamics of fractional fillings in twisted MoTe₂ bilayers — Nature 641, 1149–1155 (2025).
• Topologically protected flatness in chiral moiré heterostructures — Physical Review X 15, 021056 (2025).
• Twist-angle evolution of the intervalley-coherent antiferromagnet in twisted WSe₂ — Physical Review B 112, 085111 (2025).
• Geometric Stiffness in Interlayer Exciton Condensates — Physical Review Letters 132, 236001 (2024).
• Chiral limit and origin of topological flat bands in twisted TMD homobilayers — Communications Physics 7, 146 (2024).